hair smells after using coconut oil?

[anniefish]

I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but after I put coconut oil in my hair--it doesn't matter how minuscule the amount--my hair smells bad. I rub the residual oil from my hands onto a towel, and the towel picks up the same scent as well. I am really sensitive to smells so maybe I just notice it more than the average person would, but it really bothers me. I don't mind the smell of the oil in the jar, but for some reason once it leaves the jar it stinks. And I really love what it does to my hair, I just hate the smell.

Has anyone else noticed this when using coconut oil? Is there something I am doing wrong? What are some other oils that smell either nice or neutral when applied to hair? More importantly, is there anything that has the same wonderful effects as coconut oil but without the unpleasant odor?

[Gumball]

Since there's a scent I assume it's unrefined oil? Could the oil have gone bad at all? I know my unrefined coconut oil smells like coconut, but the smell lessens drastically once it leaves the jar since the concentration is so much less. It could be that you are sensitive to the scent, but it's interesting to me that the smell would get so much stronger and worse once it leaves the jar.

[jojo]

I love the smell of coconut oil, so yes I notice it and no it doesn't bother me. Though the smell dies down after a bit or is that because I am used to it?

[Deborah]

I'm thinking that it's one of two things:

1. Your oil is going rancid, or

2. You just don't like the smell of coconuts.

If it's #1, then you just need some fresh oil. If it is #2, well, you just need to find another kind of oil. I hope you find a good solution quite soon. :)

[manderly]

I agree with Deborah, except that you can also get refined or deodorized coconut oil if the problem is #2.

[Deborah]

I agree with Deborah, except that you can also get refined or deodorized coconut oil if the problem is #2.

Yep, she is right.

[ChloeDharma]

I love the smell of coconut, and i like how it smells on my hair initially, but i do find that after a day or so it seems to start smelling funky on my hair. Though it stays nice smelling on my skin and if in summer i use it as an underarm deoderant the fresh coconut smell seems to get stronger for some reason.
You could try refined coconut oil instead, melt it and add a few drops of an essential oil you really like....i like ylang ylang for that.
To me all oils smell, even jojoba which is described as odourless. Sweet almond oil i've been using lately has been doing an amazing job on my hair and i don't notice any smell, though i do find it very easy to overoil with it if i'm going for a light oiling.
Another oil to consider is rice bran oil....i've not used it on my hair yet but my skin loves it. It feels quite light and no matter how much i sniff i can't detect any smell at all.

[Amara]

I think maybe your oil is bad. I HATE the smell of coconut, and I find the smell disappears after a few minutes. I only use a tiny amount and I don't notice it on my hands or anywhere after just a few.

I used unrefined, it smells very much like coconut in the jar.

[rymorg2]

Well...this stinks.

I JUST bought a new tub of unrefined coconut oil. I get the musty, yucky smell too. EWWW....I may have to go back and get some refined instead.

[Manako]

I was wondering if it was just me. My coconut oil smells like coconut until either I get my hair a little bit wet, or have it on my head for a day. Then it smells weird, like plastic or something else synthetic.

I don't know how noticable it is to other people, I don't want to get rid of the whole tub of oil I just bought.

[spidermom]

Those who don't like the smell: what kind of coconut oil are you using?

I use Spectrum organic and unrefined. It smells really good fresh out of the jar, and the smell disappears in less than an hour.

[plainjanegirl]

The first tub I bought months ago had no smell and I didn't care for that.
Recently when I ran out I bought a different kind and it does smell like coconuts and I love it.

Sorry off topic: But I didn't know you could use it on your skin? What is it good for?

[rymorg2]

Those who don't like the smell: what kind of coconut oil are you using?

I use Spectrum organic and unrefined. It smells really good fresh out of the jar, and the smell disappears in less than an hour.

I've got the same Spidermom....and it's fine right out of the jar, just a bit strong. It's a day or so later that it starts to really stink. I don't wash daily anymore.

[spidermom]

I've got the same Spidermom....and it's fine right out of the jar, just a bit strong. It's a day or so later that it starts to really stink. I don't wash daily anymore.

Hmmm. I only wash about twice a week myself. I guess it must be an individual chemistry thing because sometimes when I get to that line of should I/should I not wash, I will smell my hair to see if I notice anything, and I rarely do. I think my hair absorbs most coconut oil. I'll notice a scalp smell sometimes, but that's the sebum/sweat.

[Deborah]

For anyone who has coconut oil that actually smells rancid, if you bought it relatively recently, I'm sure you could take it back to the store for a refund. Just an idea.

[rymorg2]

Hmmm. I only wash about twice a week myself. I guess it must be an individual chemistry thing because sometimes when I get to that line of should I/should I not wash, I will smell my hair to see if I notice anything, and I rarely do. I think my hair absorbs most coconut oil. I'll notice a scalp smell sometimes, but that's the sebum/sweat.

I think you're right, it's probably individual chemistry. I don't get that with my camellia oil no matter how much I use.

[ChloeDharma]

The first tub I bought months ago had no smell and I didn't care for that.
Recently when I ran out I bought a different kind and it does smell like coconuts and I love it.

Sorry off topic: But I didn't know you could use it on your skin? What is it good for?

I use it as a moisturiser, either lightly if i'm using it as a day moisturiser or a bt more heavily if i'm using it just before bed. Initially when i started usng it (bear in mind i use the virgin stuff for this) i applied it t night then in the morning my skin was visibly clearer and looked a bit tighter. It zaps a spot if one comes up too. It also works as a deoderant under the arms, it is good on sore or rough skin....really it's just fabulous lol. Though i've recently been using rice bran oil instead and absolutely love that stuff.

[anniefish]

I'm not sure if it's gone rancid or not (how can you tell?) because it smells the same way it did when I first bought it.

I bought some sweet almond oil today and tried it for the first time and I like it much better; it's been a whole day since I put it in my hair and there is no smell at all. So I think I'm going to stick with that for awhile and see how it goes.

[manderly]

It might have been rancid when you bought it.

Unrefined should smell like coconuts pretty much.

[Flaxen]

Coconut oil used to turn a horrible, rancid, fishy aroma in my hair after a few hours. I'm certain the oil was okay to begin with. It also used to make my hair crunchy whether virgin, refined, or fractionated. I kept using the virgin oil as a prewash because of the protein protecting properties. I figured I could deal with the smell since I would be washing anyway. To help with the crunchiness, for a while I mixed the oil with shea butter, and that completely stopped the crunchy problem.

Then, suddenly, the smell change problem stopped. I tried coconut oil without shea, and it didn't go crunchy, either. I really don't have an explanation for it. I suspect that my body chemistry has changed with the improvement in my diet over the last year and a half. :smile:

[Anje]

I have to ask what it smells like. The reason is that I have a small container of unrefined coconut oil that started out smelling like coconuts and now smells of bacon, oddly enough. I think it's gone bad, but it's not a nasty smell, at least not if you like smelling like smoked meat.

(No, I haven't used it in some time. It still worked as an oil when the smell changed, but since I prefer to not smell like breakfast....)

[Flaxen]

Mine has always smelled like coconuts - in the jar and when I first put it on my hair. It was after a few hours that it changed.

[anniefish]

Mine always smelled like coconuts when it was in the jar. It was only after I applied it to my hair that it smelled funky. Maybe the coconut scent just doesn't react well with my body chemistry???

For now I'm sticking with the Sweet Almond Oil because it feels lighter and has no smell.

[Ade]

I find that coconut oil smells funny on my hair as well. For that reason, I usually use it only on the last day or two before wash day when my hair is up anyways. I'm trying to see if I can use it daily as winter approaches and I have so much static. I mix it with aloe gel and some essential oils, which is a little bit better, but there still is that funky, although not necessarily rancid, smell.

[rymorg2]

It's only after a few hours with me too. I'm going to eventually try a different brand, to see if that helps but for now I have my refined and that will do for most things.

[NorthernDancer]

My mom buys coconut oil for her baking buisness from this company (they sell in the US as well as europe and australia) http://www.tropicaltraditions.com

They have an odorless coconut oil called "expeller pressed"
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/expeller-pressed_coconut_oil.htm

I normally just bum some off of her, but I think she uses the "gold label", which is an virgin oil. But lately I've been thinking about switching to the expeller pressed because I don't cave for the scent all that much.

Hope this helps....

[solitudinarian]

sorry for bringing up an old thread, really...but i was googling this because i have the same problem. http://www.feelunique.com/p/Fushi-Extra-Virgin-Organic-Coconut-Oil-250g this one, and it smells delicious in the jar, like pure coconut flesh....yet in my hair it smells really bad. it's good for a few hours, but after that it goes really bad, like a sort of sour, almost putrid smell. Kinda annoying though, cause I do love how smooth my hair gets. I also use babyoil, and have never had any issue with smell from this. I use less babyoil when I also use coconut oil, as I dont need as much.

[Tisiloves]

I think it's just a body chemistry thing. I melted my coconut oil down and added a few drops of lemon oil, covers the smell change right up. (Although I'm given to understand that citrus essential oils can cause problems in sunlight, since I'm never in it I don't worry, but you might want to try lavender or rosemary or something.)

[Celebrian]

I'm not sure about my hair, but I do know that whenever I do a facial scrub with coconut oil and salt - my face smells sort of sour after a while. I've stopped for that reason.

[Henrietta]

I've got Parachute coconut oil. It says "100% pure" on the bottle but I learned from LHC it's not, and it smells with bacon. It's not only my opinion :D Maybe your oil is not pure then, too?

[sakuraemily]

-If your oil is not going rancid then yeah it does smell. Try boiling it with curry eaves or rosemary leaves(f they don't cause problems for you). The smell will change and you'll get the added benefits of the herbs too. Just don't let the oil smoke. Turn off the heat once the leaves are done frying or whatever it is that they do.

[sakuraemily]

I've got Parachute coconut oil. It says "100% pure" on the bottle but I learned from LHC it's not, and it smells with bacon. It's not only my opinion :D Maybe your oil is not pure then, too?

Natural coconut oil does smell the way parachute does. Try making coconut milk and smelling after 2 days. But parachute is safe to use because unless you use the advanced version, it is edible.
Coconut milk is good for the hair and skin btw.

[CAPA7]

Good thing this thread was revived because I've had a bit of trouble with my coconut oil recently...

I have always ordered my coconut oil from Coconoil (I'm in the UK) and it always smelt nice in the tub. However this time when I first opened it my jar really stank! The smell was very strong, slightly tangy and was nothing like it used to be. I thought it must be a bad batch so I had a replacement sent to me, which had the same smell except much less noticeable - but still not the smell it used to have in the past.

I then tried to swicth brands and ordered some coconut from Tiana and... same thing! The smell is very strong and is nothing like the coconut oil I used to have before. Whilst not outright unpleasant (unlike the first tub from Coconoil I had replaced), it is a very noticeable smell and I miss the old discreet, sweet smell I am used to.

What could cause such a smell? Is it normal?

[Amber_Maiden]

Yep, smells bad after a while in my hair too. Just a gross smell.

[Scarlet_Heart]

I'm having smelly coconut oil issues too. I use Spectrum refined coconut oil and I've been using the same jar since last summer. I started noticing the smell this year. It doesn't smell in the jar or when it goes on my hair. It smells the next day when I take down my braid. If it's gone rancid that must mean that it's shelf life is much shorter than other cooking oils.

It never smelled like coconut because it's refined. But the smell is hard to describe. Kind of plastic-y?

I've begun to use it on my skin after a shower and love it for that. My skin doesn't get the smell. It's especially good on legs after a shave.